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19
FROM NZMJ
Introduction
Synthetic cannabinoids have been available in New
Zealand since the mid-2000s and appear to have become
progressively more widely used over time. Concerns
about safety of certain of these (eg products containing
JWH018) were initially raised by the New Zealand
Ministry of Health in 2009.1 Between 2010 and 2013,
there appeared to be a marked increase in frequency
and severity of mental health harms reported from acute
inpatient and forensic mental health settings associated
with use of synthetic cannabinoids;2-4 specifically,
development or worsening of mood, psychotic or
other behavioural symptoms. In mid-2013 the New
Zealand Government announced the Psychoactive
Substances Act (PSA) to regulate substances including
synthetic cannabinoids.5 This legislation included
the establishment of the Psychoactive Substances
Regulatory Authority within Medsafe. Along with
psychoactive products needing to meet adequate safety
requirements, Medsafe restricted the sale of synthetic
cannabinoids to 50 shops nationally, with entry restricted
to 18 years or older, and with packaging less appealing to
young people. Approximately one third of the synthetic
cannabinoid products that had been available were
not approved for sale or had approval revoked (PSA
sections 39 and 40).6 Prior to this legislation, synthetic
cannabinoids were widely available from dairies and from
internet-based vendors, and did not have explicit age
restrictions on sales.
Following implementation of the PSA, we saw reduced
numbers of presentations to mental health services. To
quantify this further we carried out a retrospective audit